Storms, floods and disasters in Fire Island
Fire Island isn’t graded for hazard risk: Fire Island has 352 residents; we grade towns of 1,000 or more. Flood insurance has paid 3,079 claims here since 1978.
What Fire Island faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
Coastal flooding
River and rain flooding
Shares are of FEMA’s expected building damage, the measure the grade uses; ranks compare each hazard’s building-damage rate with all 85,154 U.S. census tracts. In FEMA’s terms, river and rain flooding is FEMA’s “Inland Flooding” (rivers and streams overflowing their banks, or rain overwhelming drainage). FEMA defines coastal flooding as high or rising tides and storm surge, so surge damage is counted there. Drought isn’t listed: FEMA counts its losses in crops only.
Does Fire Island flood? Yes: 3,079 flood claims since 1978
Every paid claim on a federal flood insurance policy in Fire Island, from FEMA’s records.
- Hurricane Sandy1,768 claims · $119M
- The “Halloween” storm354 claims · $5.8M
- The December Storm - nor’easter334 claims · $8.7M
Fire Island isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Suffolk County.The storms Fire Island remembers
None of the 26 disasters declared for Suffolk County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching Fire Island itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
- 20121,771 flood claims paidThe year of Hurricane Sandy, declared for Suffolk County
- 1991362 flood claims paidThe year of Hurricane Bob, declared for Suffolk County
- 1992338 flood claims paidThe year of Coastal Storm, High Tides, Heavy Rain, and Flooding, declared for Suffolk County
Suffolk County has had 26 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often severe storms, then hurricanes and tropical storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees; the 2001 World Trade Center declarations.
Old photos of Fire Island after a storm or flood belong in the town’s history. Add one, or share what you remember below.
Add to the Fire Island archive →Fire Island and its neighbors
How expected damage per building compares across the town line. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southampton | A−less damage than 83% | river and rain flooding | 2,567 |
| Brookhaven | A−less damage than 80% | river and rain flooding | 3,825 |
| Oak Beach | — | 69 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| West Hampton Dunes | — | 107 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
| Captree | — | 282 residents; we grade 1,000+ | |
Hazard risk = FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade; the map is shaded by fifths of the same scale. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.
Get ready for what Fire Island faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- Know your evacuation zone and the way off the coast.
- Storm surge comes fast: leave when you’re told, not when the water arrives.
- Move cars to high ground before king tides and nor’easters.
- Turn around at flooded roads: a foot of moving water can carry off a car.
- Flood insurance usually takes 30 days to start, so buy it before the forecast.
- Keep papers and medicines up high, in a grab-and-go bag.
- Look up the address on FEMA’s flood map.
- Ask the seller or landlord whether it has ever flooded, and what flood insurance costs there.
- Get a flood insurance quote early: policies usually start 30 days after you buy.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in Fire Island
Does Fire Island flood?
Flood insurance has paid 3,079 claims in Fire Island since 1978, $160M in all. The most claims came from Hurricane Sandy (1,768).
Is Fire Island in a flood zone?
Flood zones are drawn street by street, so the answer depends on the address: look it up on FEMA’s flood map. In Suffolk County, 66% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 5.4% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in Fire Island?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for Fire Island’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
What was the biggest storm in Fire Island?
By flood claims, Hurricane Sandy: 1,768 paid, $119M.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in Fire Island.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where Fire Island’s residents lived in the 2020 census; OpenFEMA: NFIP redacted claims, multiple-loss properties, community status book and residential penetration rates, housing assistance (owners and renters), public assistance funded projects, hazard mitigation properties and disaster declarations. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. FEMA’s model is an average of expected damage, not a forecast. How hazard risk is graded.